HISTORY OF UNION COMPANY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 116, 6 August 1927, Page 2

HISTORY OF UNION COMPANY

STARTED IN DUNEDIN NOW A WORLD-WIDE CONCERN ONE of the most pregnant events in the commercial history .- the Dominion was the formation, in 1875, of the Union SFiin f?Am«oviTT _

fahip Company of New 7~T.Tr Limited. The rise and expansion of this important shipping concern have been closely bound up with the div elopment and progress of New 2»* land, particularly in the earlier dim of the Company, when it was engatid in more intensive coastal activfL; than at the present time. From a little parochial concern it has become one of the world’s great

shipping lines. Commencing with five small vessels of an igL gate gross tonnage of 2,126, its fleet now consists of 71 ves4k totalling 256,882 tons. In 1875 its largest vessel displaced only 721 tons. In the motor liner Aorangi the figure has reached 17,491 tons.

1 LTHOUGH the Union Company was not first steamship company in New Zealand, it is interesting to trace shipping history back to the time when the first steamer arrived in the Colonies. It was in March, IS3I, when that ship arrived. She was brought out in parts to Sydney as cargo and fitted together, trading afterwards as the Surprise from Sydney up the Parramatta River. In May of the same year the Sophia Jane, a vessel of 256 tons, came out from England and traded between Sydney and Newcastle. In 1546 the first vessel steamed through the Otago Meads. It was M.M. paddle-steamer Inflexible, which brought out the late Sir George and Lady Grey. Incidentally the first coal from Xew South Wales arrived in New Zealand about that time, for H.M.S. Acheron, which was engaged in survey work on the Xew Zealand coast. The pioneer trading steamer on the Xew Zealand coast, however, was the Xelson. of 215 tons, which came out from Glasgow in 1854. under the command of Captain Martin. The chief

THE FOUNDER

officer was the late Captain A. Kennedy, father of Mr. W. A. Kennedy, now manager of the Union Company at Wellington. The Xelson only made a few tpips ' between Port Chalmers and Wellington and was lost mysteriously in Cook Straits on a perfectly fine day. Although some shepherds at Terawhiti station had seerf her disappear, no wreckage of the ship was ever found. On July 22 of the same year the schooner-rigged wooden steamer Zingara. 148 tons, was chartered by th Government but to insufficient coastal trade she was soon taken off. Arrival of the Queen Xo more steamers arrived in Xew Zealand waters until July, 1858. when the White Swan made her appearance. In August the same year the first Otago-owned steamer, The Queen, 132 tons, arrived and went up to Dunedin. As the present Victoria Channel had not then been dreamed of, the Queen made her way up what was then known as the long channel on the St. Andrew’s Bay side. The day of her arrival was kept as a holiday and a salute of guns was fired. She had come from Melbourne and it was intended to trade from there to Lyttelton and Dunedin. Experience, however, proved her unsuitable and after entailing a considerable amount of trouble to her enterprising owners she was sold, and replaced by the Pirate, which arrived in January, 1859. The Pirate, which was a screw steamer, was later wrecked on the Tasmanian coast. A week after the,arrival of the Pirate came the paddlesteamer Geelong, which proved a lucky vessel. She was placed in the OatnaruInvercargill trade and did a splendid service, wool being carried at £1 a bale, while passage money was £5 a head. She was wrecked at Whangape. however, in March, 1878, while carrying a load of timber to Southern ports. In 1860 the Oberon arrived kfrom Melbourne, but later went ashore at New River. In addition to these vessels there was the Titania, whose captain, Jarvey, was afterwards hanged for murder; the original Samson, which was later wrecked at Hokitika; the Bruce, which also left her bones in the same locality: the Ada, lost later at Molyneux River; the second Samson, owned by the Otago Harbour Steam Company; Albion and Scotia, the latter being wrecked on her first trip. Other steamers, the Victoria, the pride of the Yarra, the Lady Barkley, which until a few years ago was running between X’elson and Collingwood, but is now rotting away in front of the gas works at Xelson, the Golden Age and Peninsula, were running around the Xew Zealand coast. The Lord Worsley, Lord Ashley and Airedale were also running at this period in the coastal trade. At the same time the Phoebe and Ladybird were in the intercolonial trade, the two vessels being purchased later by the Union Steam Ship Company. Union Company Formed It was in 1875 that the Union Company first saw the light of day. Mr. (now Sir James) Mills, who. though only 27 years of age. was manager of the Harbour Steam Packet Company at Dunedin, saw great possibilities in New Zealand and the need for a strong organisation. It was he who con - * ceived the idea of forming the Union Company. The Harbour Packet Company had three small vessels —the Maori, built in 1869, Bruce and Beautiful Star, the latter vessel being owned by Messrs. Houghton, of Melbourne, before being acquired by the Union Steam Ship Company. These three vessels were the nucleus of the Union Companv’s fleet. In 1874 Mr. Mills went to England on behalf of the Otago Steam Packet Company and there interested some capitalists in New Zealand shipping, which resulted in the Hawea and Taupo being ordered. Before thes--vessels arrived an amalgamation of interests was proposed and consummated, and in 1875 the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd., was formed—the name standing £s£ unity of interests.

The first meeting of provi*,.. directors took place on Ma, 3' 1875, and the company was form., with a capital of £250,000, in shares. * - When the company first started • fleet consisted of the five ships The Bruce. 460 tons, and Beuuj? Star, 1. 1 tons, were both engaged 1 Dunedin-Lyttelton run. the *2. 174 tons, made monthly trips the South Island, and the Hawea. - ' tons, and Taupo, 720 tons, each fortnightly trips from DuntdiaT Onehunga, via coastal ports. Sea Palaces of Their D*v Tlie Hawea and Taupo. which built by Benny Bros., of Dunbaifc7 were considered in their day palaces and many who inspected tw declared them too extravagantly fltw to be a. success. XVith their i> however, they kept a good timed*? and were appreciated to such an ~ tent that the directors ordered inot£ steamer from the same firm. This the Rotorua, a vessel of 9SI tona ue was the first vessel actually built hthe company. Unfortunately at this time the com pany experienced its first, reverse tfe* Bruce being lost on October 15, becoming a total wreck at Otago Haaife on her way back to Dunedir. w Timaru. Until a vessel could be baft to replace the Bruce the cxnmr chartered the steamer WanganuL It was about this time that theft** Zealand Steam Shipping Company , Wellington proprietary, became lbus* cially embarrassed and the Unit© Company acquired its asset*, the being the Ladybird. 429 tons. 557 tons. Taranaki, 443 tons, ard Wellington. 429 tons. The latter snip w* afterwards the property of the North ern Steamship Company, laid up l* Auckland Harbour for a time and w* finally sunk at Orakei in deep wttw At this time the company lud eigftvessels, including the Wanganui bsthe arrival of the Rotorua in Dewr. her, IST6, and that of the Wan&lu. which was built to replace the Brae in January. 1877, made the t?tai t« steamers. It may be mentioned her* that the Wanaka made the first W* Coast Sounds trip a few weecs aft* her arrival. Having made such a successful star, the company looked across tie Tasman and seeing great possibilities c the Australian trade, put the Roton* on this run. The route was frim Pt.n Chalmers up the coast to the Van, kau, thence to Sydney, but later tb. Manukaa call was discontinued vat the vessel came up the East Cettt calling at Auckland. As the tr&de appeared to be on the increase, the company secured the Wakatipu, which w brought out by Captain Cameron, afterwards Marine Superintendent, and

*****Wy»****f||gi was placed in charge of Ca.?tain A Kennedy. At this time the compu? also bought the Waitaki. Sairiaoii a* Taiaroa. the latter vessel pionewi* the Dominion’s Island trade and takiK up the mali service between Sydar and Nouraea. The second of this series o'* artkta on the History of the Union Coffipi*. will be published next Saturday-

ULIMAROA LEAVES SYDNEY THE local office of Huddart, Parker Company has bat* advised that the intercolonial pas senger steamer Ulimaroa sailed from Sydney at noon yestercay fer Auckland where she is expected ta arrive next Thursday morning.